Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes Andoni Iraola still has significant work to do in the transfer market, insisting the Reds could need four or five more players before the window closes.
While the Reds have made a couple of moves in the transfer market, Thompson believes there is still significant work to be done across the squad.
Liverpool have so far added Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo, while Jeremy Jacquet’s move from Rennes was completed in early February before his arrival at Anfield this summer.
Araujo’s season-long loan from Barcelona has helped ease some of the pressure in defence, particularly with Liverpool suffering from a string of injuries at the back.
Joe Gomez picked up an injury just seven minutes into the opening game of the club’s US tour, while Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are still working their way back from their respective fitness issues.
Jacquet featured alongside Virgil Van Dijk for the first time in Liverpool’s final pre-season game against Como, in which he scored the second in a 2-0 victory, and then at St James’ Park against Newcastle in the 2-2 season-opening draw. However, Thompson states Liverpool still need more defensive cover.
“Defensively we do need more. It is a particular area if Jacquet isn’t fully ready, who is going to be there? It’s a difficult one. We still need recruitment,” Thompson said on the latest edition of Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports.
The former Liverpool captain believes the club should not stop there, identifying several areas where further recruitment could be required.
“I think we probably need four, maybe five players in total in different positions,” he said.
“Defensively, certainly, a midfield player, a wide player; you need two quality players for every position. There’s work to be done.”
One name heavily linked with a move to Anfield, who fits Thompson’s wide-area criteria, is PSG’s Bradley Barcola. While no deal has been confirmed yet, the winger’s valuation is well in excess of £100 million. The Reds have also been linked with Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh.
Liverpool’s summer spending last season attracted plenty of attention, but Thompson says the club has the financial strength to continue strengthening after generating significant funds.
“The finance side of it, we could spend that money because we’ve done very, very well in sales,” he added.
“And when you look at it, just the investment in which we get into the football club, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, when you see them travelling the world, it shows that they are the two biggest football clubs.
“People want to invest in them, so you have that, and I think it contributes towards a better buying power even with the restrictions that you have.”
Thompson backs Iraola to bring change
Thompson also discussed Iraola’s appointment and believes Liverpool supporters should be excited about the change in the dugout.
“Very much so (fans should be excited),” Thompson said.
“Change can be good, change can be bad. You change because things have been going wrong – it’s not like Jurgen Klopp leaving on a high.
“Things have gone wrong, so you need a new manager, new ideas, you need the players to tap into him as quickly as possible.”
Thompson pointed to Slot’s immediate success after replacing Klopp as evidence of how quickly a new manager can make an impact, but believes Iraola faces a different challenge.
“Arne Slot came in and surprised us all by winning the league. The players invested in that from Jurgen Klopp. Hopefully this time there is a difference,” he said.
“We’ve got to get the intensity back; we’ve got to get the fans back on board, in which everything has been lost, and that’s what he did at Bournemouth.”
However, Thompson warned that Iraola cannot simply replicate what worked at Bournemouth and expect the same results at Anfield.
“Bournemouth is not Liverpool,” he said.
“The big thing about it is that Bournemouth, a lot of the time, were almost the underdogs in games and played a lot of counter-attacking football.
“With Liverpool, one of the biggest problems is breaking down packed defences.
“This is where he’s got to find that ingredient with someone like Florian Wirtz, where do you get the best out of him, and to have Alexander Isak firing, that can do them a lot of good.”